Cowboys' 53-Man Roster Predicted Ahead of Training Camp

The Dallas Cowboys will head to Oxnard, Calif. in just under a week to begin training camp on July 21, and to say the organization is excited is an understatement. That much was evidenced by a montage hype video posted by the team with the caption "back to business [soon]."

The biggest focal point at camp is how head coach Brian Schottenheimer commands the team following an energetic and seemingly productive OTA and minicamp period.

Schotty is entering a pivotal point in Cowboys history as the team's 10th head coach ever. The team is stacked with plenty of talent to be competitive, but the first-time head man is tasked with dragging Dallas out of the 7-10 hole they fell into in 2024 ... no easy task for anyone, let alone a rookie.

Then there's talk of the drought and questions about what the new man on the job will try to do to end it ... His comments about establishing "the greatest culture in the history of professional sports" will be bolded in memory as we hit the grass under the steaming SoCal sun. The culture should be felt at training camp before we can begin talking about the NFC Championship Game.

A major dampener on the season last year was injuries, and those will still be monitored closely. Various shifts around the lineup and depth chart may also occur after Dallas' solid free agency and draft class.

As the hour glass trickles to under seven days until camp commences, here is our assessment of those tweaks to the Cowboys' roster as Schotty's staff begins cutting 90 down to 53. The names are also listed in projected starting order.

Dallas Cowboys Pre-Training Camp 53-Man Roster Prediction

Quarterback

Dak Prescott

Joe Milton III

Will Grier

It's safe to view Prescott's recent injury history as a reason to carry three quarterbacks, but the order for his backup is the continued headliner here. Milton impressed at minicamp, but he will still face pressure from Grier in terms of familiarity and on-field maturity. Prescott's mobility will be another eye-grabber, as the QB coming up on Year 10 has said he's a "full-go" for game-like situations.

Running Back

Javonte Williams

Jaydon Blue

Miles Sanders

Hunter Luepke

The ball-carriers are the most polarizing group of the Cowboys' offense, with minimal clues on who could emerge as the starter. "Swiss-army knife" fullback Luepke assumes his customary role, which places Sanders, Deuce Vaughn and rookie Phil Mafah on a fragile bubble to make the team. The veteran gets the nod to sneak on, but each of these three must prove themselves to avoid a cut or practice squad relegation.

Wide Receiver

CeeDee Lamb

George Pickens

Jalen Tolbert

Johnathan Mingo

KaVontae Turpin

Lamb and Pickens will be a joy to watch make acrobatic catches, but the larger story is who emerges as a third starter or who else Prescott turns to most. Tolbert is a wise prediction for now after an acceptable season last year, but a lot of people are rooting for Mingo and an enhanced versatile role for Turpin in addition to his return duties. There is a possibility Dallas carries six wideouts, but we limit this group to five because of a jam-packed tight end situation...

Tight End

Jake Ferguson

Brevyn Spann-Ford

Luke Schoonmaker

Ferguson is TE1, no doubt about it. Yes, he must rebound from a lackluster 2024 campaign, but a healthy Prescott should help in that regard. With a neck-and-neck competition for TE2, we place both Spann-Ford and Schoonmaker on the roster in the case that Schottenheimer is more inclined to let them battle things out rather than include an add-on wide receiver. Minicamp gave a slight edge to Spann-Ford, but the pedigree of Schoonmaker bodes nicely for a firm statement at camp.

Offensive Line

LT: Tyler Guyton

LG: Tyler Smith

C: Cooper Beebe

RG: Tyler Booker

RT: Terence Steele

Brock Hoffman

T.J. Bass

Rob Jones

Saahdiq Charles

Asim Richards

The starting unit adds exciting No. 12 overall pick Booker along with All-Pro Smith and youngsters Beebe and Guyton. A major step up from the left tackle is the largest need from this group, but some good versatility and experience on the bench calm those nerves. If the Cowboys were to field another tackle other than Richards and potentially Smith, it would be the rookie Ajani Cornelius.

Defensive Tackle

Osa Odighizuwa

Mazi Smith

Solomon Thomas

Jay Toia

Tommy Akingbesote

Dallas' run-stopping front struggled last season, but Cowboys Nation is clinging to any last optimism about this group's upside behind Odighizuwa. A Year 3 leap for Mazi is desperately required with a veteran and two rookies filling in behind him.

Defensive End

Micah Parsons

Dante Fowler Jr.

Sam Williams

Donovan Ezeiruaku

Marshawn Kneeland

Williams tore his ACL around this time last year, knocking him out for the year. He brings size and speed to the second unit in his healthy return to camp this year. Fowler is the elder of the group, so Williams, "EZ" and Kneeland should see some steady reps. There are a lot of combinations here for new coordinator Matt Eberflus with Parsons and Ezeiruaku as potential stand-up guys. Former first-rounder and newcomer Payton Turner is the odd man out here as the Cowboys prefer to stick with homegrown youth and promise.

Linebacker

Kenneth Murray Jr.

Jack Sanborn

Marist Liafau

Damone Clark

Shemar James

The rookie James likely makes the team as we await the recovery of DeMarvion Overshown's torn ACL. "Agent 0" is one of the brightest young defensive stars in the NFL, but he isn't expected to be fully healthy until after the midway point of the season, so starting him on the PUP list opens up a spot.

Cornerback

Trevon Diggs

DaRon Bland

Kaiir Elam

Shavon Revel Jr.

Caelen Carson

We tentatively place Diggs on the list of players to make it out of training camp, with some indication saying he could be healthy by the first quarter of the year to avoid the PUP. Some eager reports claim Diggs is shooting for Week 1, but it's best not to rush things. Revel, however, should be close to ready in Oxnard from his own knee injury, and he should grapple with Elam for a spot on the outside. There is some shuffle flexibility here, too, after the loss of starting nickelback Jourdan Lewis. Natural nickel Bland is an obvious choice to move inside.

Safety

Malik Hooker

Donovan Wilson

Israel Mukuamu

Juanyeh Thomas

The final spot here is a close race with Thomas and Markquese Bell, but some murmurs say the veteran Wilson could be a surprise cut if he doesn't make a deeper impression on the coaching staff at camp. For the most part, the group remains the same after they proved they could be serviceable. The largest concern in the secondary, though, remains at corner ... in which Mukuamu could show off his range by filling in there.

Special Teams

Brandon Aubrey

Bryan Anger

Trent Sieg

C.J. Goodwin

One of the NFL's best specialty personnel groups round out our projected lineup untouched from last season.